Argentina Captures One of its Leading Homegrown Narcos

Authorities in northern Argentina have captured a major player in the country’s domestic cocaine trade, suggesting Argentine nationals are playing an increasingly important role in drug trafficking within their own country.

On October 23, police in Argentina’s northern Santiago del Estero province arrested Claudio Andrada, who officials called “one of the people most responsible for cocaine trafficking in the country,” reported La Nacion. Five other people were also arrested in connection with the case.

As part of the same operation, officials in nearby Cordoba province seized a truck carrying 583 kilos of cocaine, which they have linked to the group led by Andrada. According to police, the cocaine was destined for domestic sale in Buenos Aires and the surrounding area, reported Terra Colombia.

Officials said Andrada’s house in Frias, Santiago del Estero, was a transit point for cocaine arriving from the northern border.

Andrada had previously been arrested in 1996 for ties to drug trafficking, but authorities were unable to build a case against him. Still, he was clearly a high-profile target: his father was kidnapped in 2003 and released after Andrada paid an estimated $300,000 ransom, and his daughter was also kidnapped in 2011, and her release only secured with $100,000 and 20 kilos of cocaine reported Clarin.

However, while Argentina has long been a popular base for Colombian narcos and other foreign groups such as Mexico’s Zetas, there have been few examples of Argentine nationals like Andrada working at the highest levels of trafficking operations. This will almost certainly change if Argentina’s booming national and international markets continue to develop, and the rise of more homegrown capos such as Andrada in the near future is highly likely.

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